Choosing your Knife

Yanagi

The Yanagi is a long slicing knife that was designed to slice thin slices of fish for sushi and sashimi. The length and shape of the blade allows it to slice through an ingredient in long uninterrupted strokes, preserving the ingredient’s freshness and integrity.

Yanagi Kiritsuke

The Yanagi Kiritsuke is slightly heavier than the traditional Yanagi and has a sword like tip. The weight of the knife is evenly distributed from the tip to the heel of the blade, which helps balance the length during use.

Takobiki

The Takobiki is a long slicing knife that was designed to slice paper thin slices of fish for sashimi and its blunt sharp tip is useful for cutting the long tentacles of the octopus. The Takobiki is longer and thinner than a Yanagi and can slice through an ingredient in long uninterrupted strokes, preserving ithe ingredients’s freshness and integrity.

Fugubiki

The Fugubiki is a lighter and thinner version of the Yanagi, that is meant for slicing paper thin transparent slices of the Fugu blowfish. “Fugu” or blowfish is traditionally served on a painted plate, and cut extremely thin so the design on the plate can be seen through the sliced fish.

Deba

The Deba knife is a heavy knife that was made to filet and butcher whole fish. The heft of the Deba knife allows it to cut through the heads and bones of a fish, and its smaller pointed tip filets the flesh from the bones. The Deba knife can used be for chicken and meat but is not recommended for cutting through large bones.

Mioroshi

The Mioroshi knife is a longer and sleeker version of a Deba knife. The Mioroshi has enough heft to filet whole fish and cut through the fish’s cartilage and bones while also being long enough to be used as an all purpose knife.The Mioroshi knife can used be for chicken and meat but is not recommended for cutting through large bones.

Usuba Kama-gata

The Usuba Kama-gata is reminiscent of a small cleaver and has a sharp tip for more intricate work. The Usuba is hefty enough to chop through heavy root vegetables with a blade that can thinly slice delicate tomatoes.

Edo Usuba

The Edo Usuba originated in Tokyo and is reminiscent of a small cleaver with a blunt tip that comes in handy for such things as cutting the eye out of a potato. The Usuba is hefty enough to chop through heavy root vegetables with a blade that can thinly slice delicate tomatoes.

Kenmuki

The Kenmuki knife is a traditional Japanese knife that is used for smaller precision tasks and can intricately carve and style vegetables and fruits for presentations and garnishes.

Edosaki

The Edosaki knife was made specifically to filet eel. Its blade was designed to filet from the back to the front, and it has a short beveled handle to fit securely in the palm of the hand during slippery conditions.

Sujihiki

The sujihiki is a slicing knife with a long narrow blade that smoothly slices through meat or vegetables and preserves the integrity of each ingredient’s freshness.The Sujihiki slicer can carve and fabricatie large roasts and other meats and fish, and can be used for thinly slicing other ingredients such as cucumbers or smoked salmon. The sujihiki is the Western-style equivalent of the traditional yanagi knife.

Gyuto

The Gyuto is a Japanese chef’s knife with a Western style curved blade that smoothly rocks back and forth and has an extended tip for quick chopping that can be used to cut meat, fish, and vegetables. “Gyuto” literally means “beef sword” and was initially used for cutting meat in Japan. The Gyuto is one of the most versatile and essential of all knives a cook can have.

The Santoku is a all purpose knife with a round tip. The blade is shorter and thinner, making it perfect for home cooking. Santoku literally means “three virtues”, and can be used for meat, fish, and vegetables.

Honesuki

The Honesuki knife is a poultry boning knife with a hefty spine and heel that arcs into a sharp thin tip to maneuver through filets and heavy joints. The sharp pointed tip cleanly seperate poultry and meat from the bone. The spine of the blade increases in thickness towards the heel giving it extra heft and balance to cut through joints and cartillage.

Garasuki

The Garasuki is a heavier version of the Honesuki boning knife. The Garasuki has a hefty spine and heel that arcs into a sharp thin tip to maneuver through filets and heavy joints. The sharp pointed tip cleanly seperate poultry and meat from the bone. The spine of the blade increases in thickness towards the heel giving it extra heft and balance to cut through joints and cartillage.

Ikasaki

The Ikasaki knife is a traditional Japanese knife that is used for smaller precision tasks such as cutting squid into strips. It is unique in that it is one of the few traditional Japanese knives that are double beveled. It excels at smaller jobs and can be used as a Petty knife.

Petty

The Petty knife resembles a small chef’s knife and has a medium sized blade that can maneuver through both small and big jobs. It can intricately carve and style vegetables and fruits for beautiful presentations and garnishes, and can also be used for bigger jobs such as preparing meals.

Paring

Paring knives are used for smaller precision tasks such as peeling, trimming, and slicing small fruits and vegetables. Paring knives can be used to intricately carve and style vegetables and fruits for beautiful presentations and garnishes.

Sushi Kiri

The Sushi Kiri Knife resembles a cross between a cleaver and a mezzaluna, and was made to cut sushi rolls. The blade is rocked from heel to tip and cuts the sushi in one stroke without misshaping the roll.

Chinese Cleaver

The Chinese Cleaver is a traditional version of an all purpose chef’s knife. Its heavy blade can be used for everything from fabricating poultry and breaking down hearty root vegetables to mincing herbs. The Chinese cleaver can be used for dicing, slicing, and chopping, but is not recommended for cutting through hard bones.

Bread Knife

Bread knives are serrated to cut through bread, bagels, rolls, and cakes without crushing their exterior surface.

Meat Cleaver

The Meat Cleaver has a thick and heavy blade that can fabricate large sections of meat and poultry and break through bones. The Meat Cleaver can also chop through large root vegetables and mince herbs for garnishes.